Also, don't be impressed by credentials (PhD, MD, etc).
After some false starts with other therapists, I was lucky to stumble on to one who focuses on short-term intensive treatment for anxiety—he specifically avoids long-term talk therapy. His belief is that two-thirds of patients who seek treatment for anxiety are ill-served by long-term treatment or medication.
I'll say this: he managed to get me stable in a fairly short amount of time. The sessions were so mentally taxing I often just went home instead of going back to work for the rest of the day, which is probably a sign they were working.
Who made you the expert to make this determination? The people it doesn't help are the people who put no effort into the process.
I’ve heard this repeated a lot. I have no doubt this is true for some people (maybe even the majority of people for which therapy doesn’t work, I don’t know). However, I wouldn’t want to claim this is the only reason. Especially since it’s a great effort for many people to even make it to therapy in the first place. They are making an effort. And it’s disheartening to then turn around and tell them they’re the problem if it doesn’t work.
I was one of those you speak of, that merely getting there was a great effort. Therapy did me immense amounts of good, where I can thankfully live a reasonably normal, content life today. But, starting out, you better believe it took everything I had just to get up the will to drive there, and even sit there, and nothing more.
I don't think you understand how much of a breakthrough it is for some people to even get to this point, and how _fragile_ things can be at that point, either. Just even getting someone to agree to sit down with a therapist can be a massive step for them - to finally start working to confront things.
Psychiatric medication does not provide a magic pill that restores your will and motivation. If only it did! Things would be so much easier, and I could have saved a lot of time on therapy.